Bookishness: The Bestest 2005

Kafka On The Shore – Haruki Murakami
Another surreal epic about a boy looking for himself in a world filled with ghosts. Murakami proves again that he is the best writer this side of WWII.

Fortress of Solitude – Jonathan Lethem
Lethem is always long on character development short on plot, but in this saga of Brooklyn in the 70’s his writing is drenched in beautiful, literate metaphorical bliss.

The Russian Debutante⤿s Handbook – Gary Shteyngart
Of the handful of books that has emerged about the American expat community that raided Eastern Europe in the early 90’s, this is the most joyous romp through the eyes of the most joyful protagonist romper of the bunch.

Under the Banner of Heaven : A Story of Violent Faith – John Krakauer
Although a bit heavy on Morman history, this was the most readable, educational, violent and well researched non-fiction book of the year. For religious skeptics this is a must read.

Freakonomics – by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
I generally hate “business books” but this is something entirely different. This is a handful of the most interesting topical social problems, dissected and reanalyzed through the lens of numerically supported data sets. Crime declines and explained by Roe vs. Wade, real estate pricing as explained by brokers incentives. Freakishly readable!